The weather is amazing in the Beautiful City of Dubai since the beginning of November, and for those living in the UAE, once the weather is cool, we like to stay outdoor, as in summer we don’t have this choice.

As The Terrace at Media Rotana has recently launched a BBQ Night on Friday evening, we decided to go to try it and chill in the outdoor lounge. The Terrace is located at the Level 1 of the hotel and the BBQ Night is fro 8pm to 11pm.

The Terrace is spacious with comfortable seating close to the swimming pool.

There is a live DJ that was playing some nice music.

They also offer a big variety of Shisha, so shisha lovers you will enjoy.

We spent an amazing relaxing evening and the selection of food was pretty decent!

That was the Sangria Station.

It looks amazing and that’s the first time I see a sangria that is not red 🙂

Make your own salad and choose from a big variety of dressing.

There was also a selection of delicious salads.

A good selection of cold mezze.

These Spinach Fatayer and Meat Samoussas were very tasty.

A selection of baked vegetables, very healthy.

And here you can see the amazing selections of meats: salmon, shrimp, sausage, chicken, beef and lamb.

Here the chef was grilling what I wanted to eat, umm not all of them for me 🙂

To Book, call 054 309 59 48

The Social Garden Brunch

AED 390(The Taste of Terroir – including house beverages and signature cocktails)

AED 490(The Floral Refinement – including bubbly and all of the above)

Join The Social Garden Brunch for a new deliciously fun social brunch in the heart of City Walk. Feast on a wide selection of global artisanal cuisine in the unique, chilled-out, elegant surroundings of the courtyard at Chival, La Ville Hotel & Suites CITY WALK, Dubai.

I went last evening to a Turkish Cooking Class at Table 9 at Hilton Dubai Creek.

We were a small group and Chef Caan Gumus was teaching how to prepare a full Turkish Meal, Starter, Main Course and Dessert.

Chef Caan Gumus also shared with us his expansive knowledge of Turkish cuisine.

It was an amazing night!

So much fun, joy and laugh!

A good news for a great event that you should not miss.

On Friday 10 November 2017, you can join Chef Caan Gumus as he takes you to his motherland and experience traditional Turkish cooking at Table 9.

You will enjoy a Turking Cooking Delight from 02:00pm to 05:00pm

The price is AED 250 per person for individuals and AED 200 per person for groups.

Book now to secure your place by calling 04 212 75 60 or email dxbdc.table9@hilton.com

Chef Caan Gumus is a very talented young chef!

He is holding the Turkish Mezze Platter that we prepared.

So let me tell you what we prepared as starters.

We prepared the below:

Haydari (Mint Yoghurt Dip)

Acili Ezme (Spicy Tomato Dip)

Kisir (Turkish Style Bulgur Salad)

Piyaz Salad (White Ban Salad)

and we added a slice of Feta Cheese.

All of them were so tasty!

Then before we start to prepare the Main Course that is Hunkar Begendi (Eggplant with Braised Beef Cubes), Chef Caan Gumus told us the story behind the name of this dish.

In 1869, Sultan Abdülaziz invited Empress Eugénie of France to visit Istanbul. In her honor, the sultan ordered his chefs to create a special dish. After tasting many of the dishes that his chefs prepared, this quickly became his favorite. ‘Hünkar beğendi’ (‘The sultan liked it’) was thus served to the Empress. Its main ingredient is eggplant. Roasted over an open flame until its skin is scorched, the skin is then removed and the pith pureed. Traditionally, the puree is served with stewed meat.

This dish is just Divine!

And reaching the dessert, we made this Turkish Keskul (Turkish Almond Pudding) which was so delicious!

I finally went to Al Dawaar, Dubai’s only rooftop, revolving restaurant & lounge located on the 25th floor at Hyatt Regency Dubai,25th Floor, Deira Corniche in Dubai.

Al Dawaar opened its door in 1981!

Can you believe it?

This means that Al Dawaar is open to the public since 37 years!

As you are seating, having your drink and eating, you can look from the window and you see the sea, later on you will see the city, etc…

This was a Wonderful Experience! It is very Unique!

The food selection was amazing! Fine dining !

It is a Buffet whether it is lunch, dinner or brunch…

In addition to the restaurant, you can now unwind at the relaxing lounge which offers a wide selection of beverages from around the world or ask the bartender to craft a cocktail to set the mood.

The two bars, one that revolves and the other that is stationery, are interesting spaces to enjoy a drink while watching over the breathtaking views of the city and the sea.

Al Dawaar, has been completely remodelled and re-opened as a new restaurant and lounge.

It is a must-visit destination on the list of travelers to Dubai as well as the residents.

Al Dawaar offers sweeping spectacular views of the city skyline with Burj Khalifa, sea and the creek.

You will experience live kitchen dining in the restaurant’s fresh new setting inspired by tropical, colonial restaurants. An open and vibrant live kitchen, has master chefs seemingly conjure international delicacies from the tandoor, wok fry, rotisserie, steam pots and frying pans! Besides the live kitchen offerings, guests can also choose from a lavish spread including an array of salads, a sushi and sashimi showcase, ‘catch of the day’, meat lovers station, Arabic Mezze, smoked fish, cold cuts; and islands of cooked and raw seafood items. All this is complemented with innovative, handcrafted cocktails, finest wines, and a decadent dessert counter!

There is a big variety of salads and cold Mezze.

But as usual, as it is a Buffet I cannot post pictures of everything, I post some and I let you go there to see more.

Here are the Cold Cuts and the Smoked Salmon.

Fresh Salmon Sushi and Sashimi!

This is my favorite!

More Sushi selection..0

Seafood, yes!

Shrimps, King Crab Legs, Oysters, Crabs, Mussels!

Can you resist it?

Chefs in action!

You can ask here for your freshly cooked grills, so so tasty!

There is a very big selection of desserts, three tables full of sweets, Um Ali stored in a small oven and Ice Cream!

Once you try it, you will want to eat there over and over again as their dishes are so delicious.

And I have a good news for you now, you can get 20% discount on your total bill by using the code “Ralph20” till 31/12/2017.

What are you waiting for?

Go there this week end, eat, enjoy and remember me 🙂

Here is an assortment of Cold Mezze.

I will start from left to right.

The Hummus is Wow! And I always tell you when you go to a Lebanese Restaurant and that the Hummus and Tabboule are amazing, then you know that the restaurant is very good and that you will enjoy your meal.

The Muttabal is very tasty and the presentation is great, the muttabal is on an aubergine 🙂

The Muhammara is a must try, this is the Authentic Muhammara, i have never tasted anywhere else in Dubai a Muhammara like the one made from Chef Barbour!

The Warak Enab (Vine Leaves) were very good!

And the Baba Ghanouj is so delicious!

I loved so much the presentation of the Fattoush!

The Tabboule was perfect!

It had the authentic taste…

The Samkeh Harrah (Spicy Fish) was exquisite!

The Potato Harra (Harra means Spicy in arabic) were so flavorful!

The Mixed Grill dish was Top!

The Kunafa was amazing and you know why I liked it a lot, it wasn’t too sweet!

I went on Sunday evening to Al Maeda, a Lebanese Restaurant located at Doubletree by Hilton in Jumeirah Beach Residence to try their new menu that was completely changed by the consultant and celebrity Chef Joe Barza.

I went several times to Al Maeda before the change and I was always enjoying their food.

Now the menu is completely changed, a lot of new dishes are added and some dishes are fusion dishes.

I highly recommend you to visit Al Maeda and try the new dishes by Chef Joe Barza.

Chef Joe Barza is not the chef of Al Maeda, he is just the chef consultant that came to improve and change their menu.

Chef Lawrence is the Chef of Al Maeda and he does excellent dishes and his fresh Lebanese bread is the best in town!

Let me tell you now about my experience.

Let us start with the drinks, I was surprised when I saw a drink called Fatoush, basically it is Fatoush drink that has the same flavour of a Fattoush Salad. The Touche Pas Fatoush, the non alcoholic version of their classic twist on the bloody Mary is made with fresh cucumber shaken with mint leaves, tomato juice and lemon juice, served tall with a splash of soda and garnished with fresh mint and pomegranate seeds and some bread 🙂

That’s an amazing idea!

Then I tried the Granada Rosa made with fresh pomegranate juice seasoned with a hint of orange blossom water, shaken with homemade cardamon syrup and lemon juice.

Wow, so refreshing and flavorful!

The below dishes are not the original size dishes as I was mainly tasting the new menu. They are sample size dishes..

I eat in general a lot of Basterma, dried meat and it is something I like a lot.

Today I was able to try Basterma Labneh Roll. I never thought of trying to eat it with labneh before.

It was so tasty!

I have never tried King Fish before, although one of my colleagues have been recommending me to try it since few years.

So today, I was great to try the King Fish with Pistachio on Eggplant Puree.

Divine taste!

I loved it so much and now I will be finally starting to eat King Fish at home too.

I am not a big fan of eggplant other than eating Muttabals.

I ate the Stir fried Calamari on Eggplant with Vegetables, so mouhwatering…

On the left Hummus Bahri with Prawns and on the right Hummus Makdous with Egplant Pickle.

I am sure that you also is like me, you never tried any of the 2 above.

Both of them were so delicious but I preferred the Hummus with Prawns!

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